Obama and Michelle may miss a date with the Taj

Washington: The American first couple, Barack and Michelle would miss a tryst with Taj Mahal, a symbol of love during their maiden visit to India, but US official did not rule out a future trip.

"The first couple would not be having a trip to the Taj Mahal this time", Ben Rhodes Deputy National Security Advisor said at a White House briefing on US President's visit to India adding " but hopefully he would in future".

Barack and Michelle would miss a tryst with the Taj Mahal, a symbol of love, during their maiden visit to India.

"He (Obama) loves to see the Taj Mahal. He could at some point." he said.

"Certainly we wouldn't rule out any visit (to the Taj Mahal) in the future. And, hopefully, we ll be able to return to India. But right now, we re focused on this upcoming trip," Rhodes said in response to a question.

Though President Obama and the first lady may skip the fable marble monument, renowned the world over as a symbol of romance, the couple will instead make a trip to the Lutyens, Humayun`s tomb considered a forerunner to the Taj.

"The first couple, however, would be visiting Humayun's tomb," Rhodes said, describing it as one of the great cultural marvels in New Delhi.

"The President felt it was important give the rich civilization that India has, to pay tribute to that through this stop," he said.

"In India, you have one of the most dynamic and tolerant and diverse societies in the world and we want to pay tribute to that. And I think that's particularly why, we wanted to ensure that we had a culture stop in Delhi, in this instance visiting a tomb that has served as a precursor to the Taj Mahal and speaks to the enormously impressive civilization that India has had over many centuries," Rhodes said.